EVERYTHING I ATE IN JAPAN (cheap eats, all you can eat shabu, street food, bentos, cafes)

Hi yall! It’s been a good minute. Lots to cover and show you what I ate in Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara)! From my favorite gyukatsu spot, to amazing takoyaki, to okonomiyaki, to all you can eat hot pot, and even cheap eats that will keep you full and not break the bank. So much to show you!

While you’re here, please take one quick second to press that “like” button. Just one click of a button from you actually helps me out so much. It pushes me into the algorithm. More eyes on this videos mean one step closer to travel opportunities where I can document a lot more. Every single view, every single “like” counts! You have the power to help ^_^ I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart!

Please let me know if there’s anything in this video you havent tried yet that you want to try! And please leave recommendations so I can take notes and try it myself next time 🙂

0:29- Chibo Okonomiyaki in Dotonbori, Osaka
1:05- Daikisuisan Revolvoing Sushi in Dotonbori, Osaka
1:30- Takoyaki in Dotonbori, Osaka
2:14- Ichiran Ramen in Dotonbori, Osaka
4:14- Cafe LA Coffee & Bar in Osaka
5:08- AYCE Shabu Onyasai in Dotonbori, Osaka
5:59- AYCE Shabu Nabezo in Shibuya, Tokyo
6:39- Pokemon Cafe in Osaka
7:26- Pablo Cheese Tart in Dotonbori, Osaka
7:59- Starbucks Seasonal Drink
8:31- Yakiniku Like (value eat!) in Shibuya, Tokyo
9:48- 551 Horai & Food for Shinkansen (aka bullet trains)
11:27- Tsukiji Outer Market haul
13:18- Mochi master (world’s fastest mochi maker) in Nara
14:33- Street food stalls outside Fushimi Inari shrine
15:09- Gyukatsu Motomura in Tokyo
16:11- Tokyo Skytree Food Court
16:57- Kyoto Street Food vendors/stalls

In this video I also referenced:

“Dont Forget to Make Reservations for Japan!” https://youtu.be/LFvEw8ZKzoQ

“Tsukiji Fish Market Walkthrough” https://youtu.be/PKLE5akg0uM

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*e-sim card app I used: airalo
use the referral code “LILY4992” and we will both receive $3 credit!

*site for bookings: KLOOK
Use this link below and save $5 on any attractions, transportation, hotels, and more on KLOOK!! Book with my referral link and we will both receive a $5 credit 🙂 JR pass, Tokyo Tower, theme park, museum tickets, trains, hotels, it’s all here!

https://www.klook.com/en-US/invite/D9YH38?c=USD

KLOOK is also explained in this video:
Also don’t forget to make reservations before you take off! Some of these reservations require as far as 90 days in advance. Here’s a video with some tips for reservations and what DOES require rsvp beforehand!

How much Japan cost & how to do Japan on a budget:

Where to buy souvenirs in Japan:

Where to stay in Japan on a budget:

#tokyo #japan #japantravel #explore #travel

if you’re like me you love to travel because of food whether it’s a hole in the wall a popular tourist area food stalls or even experiencing convenience store food that’s different from your countries throughout my trip I did just that I’ll be introducing you to everything I ate in Japan and the first place we’ll be starting is in Osaka also known as Japan’s kitchen first thing is IO okonomiyaki in Osaka it’s located in damari and if you’re walking on the Main Street you can’t miss it look for a green sign that says chebo okonomiyaki is a Japanese pan fried dish that consists of batter cabbage meat seafood and other toppings you can choose from there are more than one kind so look through the menu to see which one’s to your liking I was excited to introduce my roommate to it and she’s never had it and safe to say she loved it another place also located on donie is Dai suisan a revolving sushi restaurant I love revolving sushi because you can just grab what looks good off the conveyor belt and at the end they’ll come over and count your plates and charge you accordingly based on the color of the plates what I love about this place was how big the slice of fishes were of course you can’t go to donur without trying the famous takuaki it’s made fresh on the spot and you can choose from a variety of different flavors it’s one of my favorite snacks and if you’ve never had them I would highly recommend them takoyaki is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of batter with DIC octopus inside and topped with tempera scrap Ginger green onion takoyaki sauce and mayo there are multiple takoyaki stands location in Donan Marie always with the line I don’t think there’s a big difference because takoyaki usually taste the same and every place I’ve had them has never [Music] failed while we’re still in Dory I have to recommend ichiran Ramen there’s one by the bridge and you can’t miss it find the long line with this logo because this location is packed with tourists and the restaurant has lied seatings you’ll have to wait a bit but trust me it is absolutely worth it don’t listen to travel snobs who tell you to stay away from touristy area while yes Japan has amazing Ramen everywhere if you’re already in Dober give it your to try there’s always room for more Ramen later they’re known for being sort of a contactless restaurant great for introverts where you don’t really have to interact with anyone you order from a machine where you choose your Ramen and additional sides grabb a paper and Mark your Ramen preferences how rich do you like your broth how much garlic green onion and chashu you would like and spice level then you take this to your solo seat place your ticket and orderers Sheet down and wait for your Ramen I can’t wait to go back for ichon they also have souvenir boxes to go if you like it as much as I did and want to take some home with you [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] in the middle of exploring I was thirsty and stuff by a little cafe called Cafe La they’re a very Foreigner friendly coffee shop and bar whose owner from La brought a piece of home with him you can find a mural of LA’s Chinatown where he grew up I ordered the pink grapefruit lemonade and it was delicious and so refreshing especially after a whole day of walking I inhaled that in seconds Cafe La has video game nights board game nights one coin espresso Martini days language exchange events and more if you know me you know that I love shaboo Shabu or hot pot the delicious boiling hot soup where you get to choose your own veggies meats and other ingredients to cook I love curating my own pot and deciding how long to cook the ingredients there were two shaboo spots I’ve gone to one was in donur Osaka which had an interesting layout each table was separated with these wooden frame and door and you had to take your shoes off as the seating area sort of dips in there’s no English name on the sign but I believe it’s called onai and this is what the sign looks like if you Google donur Shabu onai it should pop up at onai it’s all you can eat you choose from a meat package and select the side dishes you want for the shaboo the other shaboo place I went to was in shabuya Tokyo called Nazo also all you can eat it’s located right next to the Disney Store close by The shabuya Crossing where you’ll take an elevator out you choose which course you want and each course has a list of selected meats you can choose from the cool thing about this place is instead of ordering the sides with the waiter you just go up and grab them yourself if you want to help yourself to another serving you don’t have to wait for any want to come over unless it’s the [Music] meat of course in Japan I had to experience the famous Pokémon Cafe it’s really challenging to get reservations almost impossible actually but I made a video on how to secure reservations and the link will be in the description below we ordered the Gengar drink a kids meal Pikachu cookie with coffee and the main dishes decur were super cute for sure you get a placem with a random Pokémon and utensils with Chef Pikachu on them the food was decent but I would say it’s just a one time thing for me because the reservation is by time slots by the end of your group’s slot Chef Pikachu comes out to greet the room and does a little dance exercise encouraging us all to participate on my way back I passed by Pablo a cheese tart stall in D tanbury it had a long line and I was craving dessert so I decided to check it out they had a variety of flavors but since I hadn’t tried anything Sakura flavor yet during my time in Japan I decided maybe I’ll give this a try it was a bit underwhelming but what I should have done was also buy their classic flavor which is probably what they’re most known for that’s a good rule of thumb actually if you’re trying a new place consider trying their classic flavor [Music] first real quick I’m not a big coffee drinker but I saw this melon drink advertised all over Starbucks and was intrigued it’s the melon melon Frappuccino blend that includes a honeydew blend cantaloupe chunks at the bottom and topped off with the melon flavored whipped cream it was so good I had it twice in a day possibly four times throughout my trip but only because I found out about it later if I had it in the beginning of my trip I definitely would have had it more than four times [Music] what I love about Japan is that it’s solo friendly a lot of the restaurants you’ll find can accommodate just a party of one and it’s very normalized one place I went by myself was Yakiniku Lake in Shibuya the price on the poster was what got my attention I saw meat and 580 Yen which is equivalent to $367 cents in USD and I was intrigued Yakiniku means grilled meat you sit down in your stall choose the meat or combo sets you would like from a tablet and cook the meat to your liking I love that you can fill the water on your own without calling over the waiters utensils and napkins are also provided in a drawer under the table very convenient because the sets are pretty cheap you can also order more meat on a cart because I already had a snack before this one set was quite enough but on a typical day I probably would order more meat it comes with rice soup and kimchi my set cost about 1,250 Yen which is a little under $8 USD that is amazing it’s absolutely worth it and I definitely will return next time while you’re not allowed to eat on a regular subway train what’s cool about the shinkansen or bullet trains is because it’s traveling a far distance you can have a meal on board right in the stations there are food courts and kiosks you can grab your food from considering the lines can get pretty long be sure to make some time to grab them before the train takes off the food court is usually located underground there are full-on restaurants coffee shop toy stores bookstores and above ground where you board the train there are more kiosk usually ready to go food in Bento boxes it took me a while to decide what to eat before boarding I train but anytime I passed by 551 H in Dy or the station it always had a long line so I assumed it’s super popular I decided to order a box of sumai and two buns and it was pretty good you can never go wrong with sumai and bows on a previous trip I bought Bento boxes which as cute as it may be wasn’t as warm as I would have liked it so that’s why my next trip around I went with hot steamed food if you’re a afraid of missing your train they also have Bento boxes on board you can purchase [Music] [Music] [Music] from I’m a sucker for Asian nightmare and food stalls which is why I always enjoy going to the sukij outer Market listen you’ll hear travel snobs talk about how it’s just a tourist trap and all but if it’s your first time you are a tourist and I would recommend checking it out at least once just for the fun of it with so many foods and snacks to explore in one spot that’s the best part buy a little of this and that here and there sample as much as you can if you want a walkthrough of the market I have another video titled sukij Market walkth through and what we ate and it’ll be in the description below there are stalls of dried Seafood fresh melons oi and let me just shout out my favorite Poké stall I’m sorry I didn’t catch the name of the place but it’s the Poke spot at the end of the aisle it was my first time having poke and the fish was so fresh there are multiple bowls you can choose from with different fishes and I was really impressed and I wanted to go back for more another thing I loved was the oysters I’ve had my fair share of oysters in the States but I have yet to come across one that was this big the prices vary depending on the size and I went with the big one next to the stall was a table with sauces and you can use a bucket to throw away the shells we also had calamari with sauce Tango and mochi I’ve always wanted to try the white strawberry so I knocked two birds with one stone getting the white strawberry Mochi it was pretty sweet compared to a regular red strawberry of course I got more calamari and my friends bought a small box of white strawberries speaking of Mochi I accidentally stumbled across this famous Mochi master in NADA named mitsuo nakatani correct me if I’m wrong but as far as I know he is’s the world fastest Mochi maker I didn’t realize he was the same Mochi Master I’ve seen all over social media but it was really cool to see him in action it’s so fascinating to see the speed and Rhythm when he’s pounding the mochi [Music] the shop is open from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and they specialize in Yogi Mochi which is a sweet rice cake filled with red bean paste and dusted with kinako uh roasted and sweetened soybean flour since it just came out of the machine it was incredibly fresh and soft each piece was 180 Yen which is the equival of $114 USD after we explored the Fushimi Inari Shrine we got hungry fortunately our nose L us around the corner and we stumbled across the street food market there were Mochi tiaki crabsticks takoyaki and of course my favorite oysters be sure to get there before the sun goes down during my first trip I had no idea this existed because they had already cleaned up and we just wanted to make it to the gates for pictures during my next trip we got there earlier and got to experience the food market one of my favorites which still has me salivating to this day is guuk katsu there are multiple locations throughout Japan it’s deep fried beef cutlets that you cook and is often served with side dishes and sauces for dipping I highly highly recommend it I WR about three 31 trip because that’s how much I loved it one cutlet is 1,630 Yen which is the equivalent to $10.30 USD 1 and A2 cutlet is 2300 Yen which is about $14.56 USD two cutlet is 276 Y which is about $17.47 in USD this is isn’t just the cutlet itself y’all this is the set it comes with rice miso soup and a little Mochi for dessert come on you can’t tell me this isn’t a great deal another spot I loved having a meal in was the Tokyo Sky trees food court area it’s located underground and there are a variety of restaurants to choose from from Japanese to Western to Thai to Chinese one thing I can’t get over is the prices because of that I am ended up getting food from two spots I ordered takoyaki or fried squid balls from gako for 550 Yen and the oyakodon with deep fried chicken from Tori ichimi for 890 Yen 1,440 yen is equivalent to $10.75 for lunch like come on 10 bucks for this and I had a little bit left over and the states the takoyaki itself would be $7 already I haven’t been around Japan much just yet but Kyoto and Osaka are my favorite cities in Japan so far if you find your way to Kyoto which I highly recommend you’ll be surrounded with beautiful nature all around especially if you make your way to the bamboo forest in that vicinity you will also find tons of food stalls to snack on located right by the entrance of the bamboo forest you’ll find stalls selling Dango and sweet potatoes I was tempted to get some because I hadn’t eaten anything for breakfast yet but there were still so many more stalls to explore don’t fill yourself up too quick go explore see what else is available and maybe Circle back that way you won’t stuff yourself before you find something else that looks even more [Music] delicious I love me some fish cakes fish cak suai dumplings all the variation so of course I sto sto by this doll they sold varieties of fried fish cakes some with green onion some with vegetable another had bacon and cheese one had shrimp and potato and another had one with octopus I went with the Kyoto pork sumai and the fish cake with green [Music] onion on my way to look for more snacks I came across some gift shops so you can feel free to do some souvenir shopping in the area a lot of the stores have veneer boxes of their cookies and chocolates you can bring back home to gift people I was craving desserts so I made my way over to get some tayak which is a fish-shaped cake dessert they’re not fish cake just cakes shaped of a fish they typically come with a choice of red bean which is a popular flavor or custard which is what I went with it wasn’t bad next was the green tea ice cream Kyoto is also known for the green tea and one thing I highly recommend trying while you’re in Kyoto is the green tea biscuit with white chocolate I can’t pronounce this but it’s on the screen if I remember correctly I could only find this in Kyoto so be sure to check souvenir shops or department stores they typically have them in the souvenir [Music] boxes there’s still a few more things to cover but because we already reached the 20 minute Mark I don’t want to bombard you with everything in one video so there will will be a part two sorry for taking so long pushing out these Japan series videos it really takes a lot to put together and edit with a full-time job which is why I would be so incredibly thankful if you would like subscribe and share the videos with people you’re planning your trip with more views and likes help push my video into the algorithm and it takes me one step closer to travel opportunities where I can document a lot more I hope to return to Japan one day and get more tips and recommendations just one small action of liking the video and watching other Japan series video would really help me get towards that and I would really really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart if there’s something you would like to see in the future please let me know and I’ll take some notes in the meantime stay safe and have a wonderful day [Music]